Sunday, August 31, 2008

Leander Harding on the Pastoral Forum and a Response

From Rev'd Dr. Leander Harding (blog):

Gafcon and the Pastoral Forum

It is clear from the recent communique from GAFCON that the move to establish a North American Province without the express approval of Canterbury is unstoppable. It is a tragically missed opportunity that a robust response to the needs of alienated orthodox Anglicans in North America was not negotiated at Lambeth. I think a unified and unifying response could still be made if the Archbishop of Canterbury immediately announces a chair for the pastoral forum who is a figure credible in Global South and GAFCON quarters. Drexel Gomez and Mouneer Anis are two names that come immediately to mind. The non-negotiable needs to be that any interim arrangement of alternate primatial oversight is acceptable to the parties seeking relief. The window of opportunity for a Canterbury sponsored solution is nearly closed.

My response:
Leander, as I said on my own DCNY blog, why would anyone believe that the pastoral forum will work when the Council of Advice, the Panel of Reference, and the Pastoral Council all failed? Isn't this kind of thinking the very definition of insanity?

No comments: